Some Like it HotFor a couple of down and out Prohibition Era jazz musicians like Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon), escaping snowy Chicago and the murderous grudge of a fashion-conscious mobster named "Spats" Colombo (George Raft) for a paid gig on the warm beaches of sunny Florida is the perfect getaway. The only trouble with this masterstroke is that the traveling troupe is made up of women only. Desperate and broke, the duo disguises themselves as women ("Josephine" and "Daphne") and get an eyeful of life for the "fairer sex", especially after they encounter the sexy singer, Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe).
|
|
Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot is often described as a romantic comedy; in reality, it is a farce packed with double entendre and sight gags, poking fun at sexuality. The deft way that the film addresses arousal and sexual humor is so clever and performed with such wit and hilarity, that it becomes a wonder that it was produced during a time when the infamous "Hays Code" of production values was still in effect. (It should be noted that the film was made without the approval of the aforementioned Motion Picture Production Code.) In this way, Some Like It Hot represents a challenge to arbitrary censorship--not through crudeness or vulgarity, but with sly and even subtle sexual humor. Witnessing a mass killing inspired by the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is the final straw that convinces Joe and Jerry to escape Chicago; it was just yesterday that they had to escape while performing at a speakeasy--humorously disguised as a mortuary--and they were already broke and without prospects anyway. But the real lifeblood of Some Like It Hot pumps after they take the crazy plunge to pretend to be women and board the train to Florida. All of a sudden, everything seems perfect--they get to ogle pretty girls who don't know that they aren't girls, and get paid to play the tenor sax and fiddle bass.
The humor of Some Like It Hot is a combination of witty dialogue, the surgical precision of the delivery, and situations that become increasingly outlandish. Joe and Jerry feud for Sugar's affections while drooling like horny schoolboys--a sport that becomes even more absurd since they are disguised as other women. Jerry especially delights in feasting his eyes on a bounteous bouquet of nubile musicians, uttering innuendo-laden lines like "Jello on springs" or "the shape of that liquor cabinet" while admiring Sugar's body. Some Like It Hot exploits the cross-dressing humor with scenes that highlight its inappropriateness, like when Sugar sneaks into Jerry's bunk on the train, and he alludes to sharing a "surprise" with her. After Sugar confesses to Joe (as Josephine) that she hopes to meet a sweet millionaire sugar daddy in Florida, Joe purloins the band manager's suitcase and glasses, convinces Jerry to let him use the yacht of an actual millionaire named Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown)--who has eyes for Daphne/Jerry--and poses as the heir of the Shell Oil conglomerate; Joe even hams it up with an accent lifted from Cary Grant to win over Sugar in his newest disguise. Joe's plan is so insane and risky that a sane man--or a man with scruples--would never attempt it with any degree of seriousness. And while Sugar may not be a Rhodes scholar, but one can't help but wonder if there isn't a part of her that knows that "Junior's" claims of feeling no sexual arousal in her voluptuous embrace isn't just hogwash. (In one of the film's most famous sight gags, his leg rises while she locks lips with him on the couch of the yacht, suggesting that the leg symbolizes a more personal part of Joe's anatomy.)
While Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are the comedic virtuosos in Some Like It Hot, the unquestionable star is Marilyn Monroe--her Venus-like allure is brought into the forefront of every scene she is in. Marilyn Monroe is literally given center stage for most of the musical numbers in Some Like It Hot, including an arousing performance of "I Wanna Be Loved By You" that has become synonymous with the quintessential Hollywood sex symbol. Sugar is a young girl who has had a rocky time with love, sneaking bourbon in a flask that she keeps in her garter--doubly dangerous during Prohibition--and hiding her cynicism about love behind a bubbly facade. Sugar comically mutters that she is sick of getting the "fuzzy end of the lollipop", and views the gig in Florida as a veritable feeding frenzy of rich tycoons she can seduce with her sultry good looks. Sugar confesses to Josephine that she has a weakness for musicians--particularly men who play tenor sax, like Joe does--but looks back on her former naivete with bitterness and regret. If Some Like It Hot was not a comedy, Joe would be just another unscrupulous opportunist exploiting Sugar's fractured heart for sex. But because she is also looking for a man to exploit for financial security, the gag is that they are both deceiving one another through a labyrinthine series of disguises to satisfy their superficial desires, while avoiding what they really need emotionally. When Sugar talks about her past, she is in the center of the camera's eye--everything else in the world is out of focus, just like how Joe sees her. Despite Jerry all but calling "dibs" on the buxom blonde performer, Joe is actually attracted to Sugar on more than a physical level, which helps take the sting out of his dubious attempts to seduce her under false pretenses. As Jerry becomes surprisingly wrapped up in his feminine alias--even getting engaged to Osgood after dancing all night--Joe's epiphany is that his deceptions can only end in further heartbreak for Sugar. Abandoning his irresponsible ways of being a philanderer and schemer, and accepting accountability for how his actions affect women like Sugar is a major step in becoming a real man.
Recommended for: Fans of a hilarious comedy about sex, romance, and gender relationships, using subtlety and innuendo to elicit laughs instead of low humor. Some Like It Hot includes one of Marilyn Monroe's most iconic performances, and capitalizes on the qualities which made her a Hollywood legend.
The humor of Some Like It Hot is a combination of witty dialogue, the surgical precision of the delivery, and situations that become increasingly outlandish. Joe and Jerry feud for Sugar's affections while drooling like horny schoolboys--a sport that becomes even more absurd since they are disguised as other women. Jerry especially delights in feasting his eyes on a bounteous bouquet of nubile musicians, uttering innuendo-laden lines like "Jello on springs" or "the shape of that liquor cabinet" while admiring Sugar's body. Some Like It Hot exploits the cross-dressing humor with scenes that highlight its inappropriateness, like when Sugar sneaks into Jerry's bunk on the train, and he alludes to sharing a "surprise" with her. After Sugar confesses to Joe (as Josephine) that she hopes to meet a sweet millionaire sugar daddy in Florida, Joe purloins the band manager's suitcase and glasses, convinces Jerry to let him use the yacht of an actual millionaire named Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown)--who has eyes for Daphne/Jerry--and poses as the heir of the Shell Oil conglomerate; Joe even hams it up with an accent lifted from Cary Grant to win over Sugar in his newest disguise. Joe's plan is so insane and risky that a sane man--or a man with scruples--would never attempt it with any degree of seriousness. And while Sugar may not be a Rhodes scholar, but one can't help but wonder if there isn't a part of her that knows that "Junior's" claims of feeling no sexual arousal in her voluptuous embrace isn't just hogwash. (In one of the film's most famous sight gags, his leg rises while she locks lips with him on the couch of the yacht, suggesting that the leg symbolizes a more personal part of Joe's anatomy.)
While Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are the comedic virtuosos in Some Like It Hot, the unquestionable star is Marilyn Monroe--her Venus-like allure is brought into the forefront of every scene she is in. Marilyn Monroe is literally given center stage for most of the musical numbers in Some Like It Hot, including an arousing performance of "I Wanna Be Loved By You" that has become synonymous with the quintessential Hollywood sex symbol. Sugar is a young girl who has had a rocky time with love, sneaking bourbon in a flask that she keeps in her garter--doubly dangerous during Prohibition--and hiding her cynicism about love behind a bubbly facade. Sugar comically mutters that she is sick of getting the "fuzzy end of the lollipop", and views the gig in Florida as a veritable feeding frenzy of rich tycoons she can seduce with her sultry good looks. Sugar confesses to Josephine that she has a weakness for musicians--particularly men who play tenor sax, like Joe does--but looks back on her former naivete with bitterness and regret. If Some Like It Hot was not a comedy, Joe would be just another unscrupulous opportunist exploiting Sugar's fractured heart for sex. But because she is also looking for a man to exploit for financial security, the gag is that they are both deceiving one another through a labyrinthine series of disguises to satisfy their superficial desires, while avoiding what they really need emotionally. When Sugar talks about her past, she is in the center of the camera's eye--everything else in the world is out of focus, just like how Joe sees her. Despite Jerry all but calling "dibs" on the buxom blonde performer, Joe is actually attracted to Sugar on more than a physical level, which helps take the sting out of his dubious attempts to seduce her under false pretenses. As Jerry becomes surprisingly wrapped up in his feminine alias--even getting engaged to Osgood after dancing all night--Joe's epiphany is that his deceptions can only end in further heartbreak for Sugar. Abandoning his irresponsible ways of being a philanderer and schemer, and accepting accountability for how his actions affect women like Sugar is a major step in becoming a real man.
Recommended for: Fans of a hilarious comedy about sex, romance, and gender relationships, using subtlety and innuendo to elicit laughs instead of low humor. Some Like It Hot includes one of Marilyn Monroe's most iconic performances, and capitalizes on the qualities which made her a Hollywood legend.